“The Hebrew word leb means heart; mind; midst. Leb and its synonym lebab appear 860 times in the Old Testament.”*
“Heart is first used of man in Gen. 6:5; And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. In Gen. 6:6 leb is used of God: And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.”*
“The seat of desire, inclination, or will can be indicated by heart. Pharoah’s heart is hardened (Ex 1:16): whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it (Ex 35:5); I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all mine heart.”*
“The heart may be the seat of conscience and moral character. How does one respond to the revelation of God and of the world around him? Job answers: …my heart shall not reproach me as long as I live (27:6). On the contrary, David’s heart smote him (II Sam 24:10). Hezekiah walked with a perfect heart. Only the man with clean hands and a pure heart (Ps24:4) can stand in God’s presence.”*
“Leb may refer to the seat of rebellion and pride. God said: …for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth (Gen 8:21). The heart is deceitful above all things, who can know it?(Jer 17:9)”*
“God controls the heart. Because of his natural heart, man’s only hope is the promise of God: A new heart also will I give you…and will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh (Ezek. 36:26). So the sinner prays: Create in me a clean heart, O God (Ps 51:10).”*
“The heart stands for the inner being of man, the man himself. As such, it is the fountain of all he does (Prov 4:4). All his thoughts, desires, words, and actions flow from deep within him. Yet a man cannot understand his own heart (Jer 17:9). But God will cut away (circumcise) the heart of His people, so that they will love and obey Him with their whole being (Deut 30:6).”*
*W.E. Vines Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, Heart – pg 108 & 109, Copyright 1984, 1996, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, TN.
Only God can change a heart. It is His work.